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While there are certainly human causes behind every political dispute, it can't be denied that there is one spiritual being who revels in seeing people point fingers at each other.
Division is the devil's playground and that shouldn't be surprising. The word "devil," comes from the Greek word diabolos, which can be translated as "to divide," "to separate," or more literally, "to throw against."
It is a tactic that can be seen as far back as the book of Genesis. The serpent in the garden was able to wedge his way between Adam and Eve, not only pitting them against God, but also pitting them against each other.
God approached them and asked what happened, "The man replied, 'The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.' The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, 'The snake tricked me, so I ate it'" (Genesis 3 12-13).
Satan's primary weapon
Pope Francis often spoke about this tactic of the devil, referring directly to it in an address to participants in a seminar for bishops in mission territories.
Divisions are a handy weapon that the devil uses to destroy the Church from within. He has two weapons, but the main one is division ... Please, fight against division, because it is one of the weapons that the devil uses to destroy the local Church and the universal Church.
This not only applies to Church settings, however. The devil revels in causing division in any setting where people are meant to compromise. Politics has become one of the biggest "playgrounds" of the devil in recent years, as it has been easy for him to convince both sides to remain entrenched in their views. Ultimately, this leads to war, as Pope Francis pointed out.
Jesus, on the other hand, desires unity.
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one. (John 17:20-22)
God does not want to see us fight against each other, but to be a unified whole in all aspects of our lives. This does not mean that God takes away our differences, but that he finds ways to bring harmony with our differences, the way an orchestra uses different instruments to produce a harmonious sound.
What we need to do is to step back and realize what is happening and to be willing to compromise in order to heal the wounds of division.
Sometimes there may be issues that require a firm stance, but often what needs to happen is the opening of our heart to another person's concerns, treating them as a child of God.
